Moves and Countermoves: Hannah
by Wildwood Rose
Summary: Ever since Hannah was born, Haymitch has prepared his daughter for Euphemia Coin, who despite all precautions, is sure to escort his daughter to her death and the Games. However, when her name has finally been called, has his training been enough...
1. Chapter 1

Moves and Counter Moves: Hannah

Chapter One : The Reaping  


 _Saturday 27th June_  
 _District 12_

Hannah, skinning her last rabbit, when she hears a foreign movement from afar in the forest, halting her own movements. The disturbance too clumsy for even the largest animal. Gingerly, sucking the still warm blood off one of her fingers, she keeps her head raised for a good few minutes, staring into the evergreen foliage before returning to the carcass. Her work is still not clean or as neat as others her senior and it took two of her arrows to bring this small animal down. The first in the rump, before the second pierced through the choke. Because for all her father's strictness and training, Hannah has never experienced real hunger; a thirst for survival. Other than perhaps, the affection of her father, like she watches the village men bestow upon their daughters. Or like she remembers in sweet bitterness, how he used to bestow on her when she was a very little girl.

The woods of District 12 has been her habitat for the last five years. Hannah spends her days hunting meat for her grandmother's place at the hob; as well as day dreaming/ occasionally reenacting previous Victors' kills, contriving and practicing kills that would make her Victor. Her old carer often grumbles that, Hannah doesn't know meat from meat. A concept her father is all too happy about.

Hannah hears more clumsy cracks, and brushes her long white blonde hair out of her face, smearing the locks with animal blood. The tie she had put in much earlier, long lost. Most girls her age have their mothers or sisters weave their hair out of their face, but Hannah has neither of those. She lives alone in the woods, and only has her father and the old woman that live in the village that lies beyond the forest, the electric fence and the sparse meadow. Hannah feels a crimson droplet fall down her face and anticipates it reaching her tongue. The intruder is coming from behind her.

Steadily sneaking up on her.

She'll wait, she decides, until the last minute to attack. Feign ignorance.

The blade reaches the periphery of her right eye before she falls flat to the earth, rolling over, she traps her assailant's feet as she does so. He is much more stronger than her, but she is lithe and quick.

He also falls, backwards. Groaning.

She quickly gets up, stabbing his wrist that still holds his weapon with the block heel of her shoe, she grinds pressure into it until his grip opens, releasing his blade. Then Hannah brings his blade to his throat.

His cool grey eyes she knows are so much like her own stare up at her.

"I win", she grins, because it has been a few moments and he hasn't acknowledged it.

But he doesn't look impressed.

"You took too long to react", he scolds pushing himself up, but is stopped by his blade digging into his throat. "Hannah", he warns.

"I knew it was you. The sounds were too clumsy and loud for anything else"

"I could have been a bear"

Hannah's grin widens, "admit I won, Haymitch!" she squeals in delight, resting her head on her father's forehead.

"This is not a game, Hannah", her father despairs. "Tomorrow-"

"- I know, _Papa_ , but I'm ready". She first learnt that word when she was six, and has since learnt how easily he gives in when she addresses him with that term. "Please Papa", she makes fish faces at him. "I win".

"OK Shorty. You win". She likes it when he calls her by that term. It is warming and reminds her of how it used to be, before the cool, distant shell her father is now.

Hannah glees, dropping the blade and giving his neck the best hug she can from that angle. She buries her nose in his short black curls to inhale the scent she finds so comforting. They are soft, like a pillow, and she rests her head on it. "I wish I had black hair like yours", moving a hand to play her fingers through them. Hardly any Victor's have blonde hair - none the paleness of hers. Inwardly, she worries quite frequently it is a bad omen.

"Yeah, well ... I wish you didn't have that colour either...". He obviously worries the same she concedes.

"I will win for you, Papa", hugging him tightly again, assuring him. "I'll tear their throats out with my teeth, just like Enorbia. I'll axe their limbs off like Johanna. Spear their hearts like Finnick - I was named after Johanna, wasn't I Papa?" She knows this of course, but still likes hearing it. She is her favourite victor after Enorbia - and her Papa of course.

"Yep".

"I will win and then we will always be together".

~xXx~

In the secluded wooden cabin that evening, whilst combing the days knots out of her hair, Hannah stares up at the still perfectly intact poster her father brought with him when she first moved in. Then, aged seven, she had felt cold, secluded and scared in her new dwellings away from the cluttered comfort of Sae's cramped shack. Her father had left her there and she cried out into the night for him, running into the chilled darkness, only to be frightened back into the four wall enclosure; curling up tight in a ball in the corner, she threw a blanket over her eyes and cried silent tears until her father returned before the sun rose the next day. She was little and weak then. It was homey now, and she had grown accustomed to all the sounds and strange shapes the woods made at night.

The woman in the picture had eyes like the sky at midday. Her hair puffy like a cloud but the colour of rabbit flesh. Lips the colour of fresh blood, and skin like snow. Euphemia Coin.

She was the most ridiculous thing, Hannah, had ever seen! For one, she had no eyebrows! She was dressed almost like a peacekeeper with her high buttoned up shirt, but her skirt stuck to her skin so tightly, that it couldn't have been easy to move. Not to mention the height and pointiness of her shoes. How easy she would be to unbalance. Her face and whole attire neither camouflaged her well or made her a worthy assailant for even a fly!

That said, with each stroke of the comb through her hair, the words her father told her five years ago and so often reminded her of was going around like a loop in her head:

'She may look harmless Hannah, but she is an angel of death. She will come for you, to bring you to your death. Take you away from District 12, me and Sae. And if you survive, she will kill you herself. You cannot trust her'.

Reaping day of her twelfth year was tomorrow. And if her father was right, the Angel of Death would be coming for her tomorrow.

~xXx~

 _Sunday 28th June - Reaping Day_  
 _District 12_

Hannah had weaved through the streets of the village while everyone else had been asleep.

'Stay hidden. Stay in the woods. Do _not_ come out until I tell you'.

She had poked her head through one of the windows of her father's large house before the sun rose to watch him. He was laid out on the table, surrounded by drink. She had tried the contents of one of the bottles before and quickly decided she didn't like how light headed or sick it made her. She thought she would see the woman with the long dark plait with him, but she wasn't. She lives in one of the other houses with an older woman and a girl that Hannah could easily kill if need be. But she had also seen the woman with the dark plait shoot arrows in the wood and decided it best to steer clear. She and the blonde man that only had one leg moved in last year into two separate houses. She had sized him up to, and despite his strength, was sure she could kill him too if need be. She had asked her father about them, naturally. Most importantly, why there were two, when the Games only allowed one Victor. But he said that it wouldn't do her any good knowing. They were both soft, he had said, and had only one the games by 'sheer darn luck', so there was no usefulness in watching their games.

The Games also brought people from outside of District 12; more peacekeepers, _Capitols_. Excluding this past year, the fence would only be electrified a few weeks before the Games until a Victor was crowned, but Hannah and her father had learnt to combat that a long time ago.

'Stay hidden. Stay in the woods. Do _not_ come out until I tell you'.

Hannah skipped down the pebbled streets, kicking the loose stones before climbing up the drain pipe of one of the buildings looking over the Square, so she could have a better look when the show began.

Hannah was secret you see. There was a stone with her name on it in the graveyard near the Seam:

'Hannah Sae Hardy'

'Died age 7 and one month'

'Pneumonia'

But Hannah had been a secret in one way or another all her life, she figured she was excellent at it. It would be her first live Reaping, and as long as she stayed out of sight ...

~xXx~

It felt like forever for Hannah for the sun to rise for the Reaping of the 75th Hunger Games. The _third_ Quarter Quell. For the people of the village to finish filtering into the Square - just like the videos! All the other children were scrubbed and dressed in their best clothes, hair neatly wet and combed and tied back. Hannah ran a hand through her hair she had tried her best at weaving. Looked at the shoes she had scrubbed clean in the lake. She didn't have a dress or skirt but had taken one from one of the villager's clothing line a few weeks ago. She had eyes one that must have belonged to the girl at Victors Village, but had feared the woman's arrow.

She's already spotted the girl, with her long blonde hair in weave. The woman with the dark long plait, didn't have hers weaved but down, and was sitting next to the man with one leg, holding hands and looking at each other like they were ... together. But Hannah was fairly certain the woman belonged to the man with the dark curly hair and grey eyes, like Papa.

Sae was standing in the crowd too.

Enorbia was sitting on the stage next to Papa, although Hannah was too far to see her pointed teeth, and the screens - much to her annoyance - only showed the Bread Man and the Hunting Woman. Hannah was also disappointed Finnick and Johanna had decided not to bring their axe or trident. Next to Finnick was the crazy red head woman that lived with him and was always crying. She was soft too. Her Papa was at the top, he looked funny in the clothes they had put him in ... but still, Victor of the second Quarter Quell. She would make sure she was Victor of the third.

The crowd fell even more silent and suddenly a shrill voice echoed loudly through Hannah's ear drums, she actually almost fell from where she was perched it shocked her so much. The silence was for the person addressing the crowd.

Euphemia Coin.

Hair fluffy like a yellow cloud this time, one of the screens projected her face and dress. Hannah had been wrong about this woman not being a worthy component for a fly, as there were what must be thousands of Danaus plexippus, more commonly known as Monarch Butterflies, covering her body, her face and her hair.

Euphemia Coin spoke, but Hannah wasn't listening to a word she was saying. It was the first time she had seen the Angel of Death in person, and she was taking in everything of her. She did vaguely wonder what her father thought to this woman and what she was wearing. But he was too far for her naked eye, and the Angel of Death blocked him on the screen. But when she eventually moved, Hannah could see her father's eyes boring death into the woman, as if he wanted to strike her dead then and there.

 _Don't worry Papa, I will do it for you. I will win the games and then nothing will keep us apart._

But Hannah barely had time to react to the fact _her father_ had Danaus plexippus on his outfit _too_ , when she heard the pained whisper of her name - or atleast what sounded very much like her _real_ name - the first and last for sure.

'Hannah Euphemia Trinket Abernathy'

And suddenly she was no longer a secret as the screen now projected her face from where she was supposedly hiding.

Loud audible gasps filled the Square, no longer silent. The other screen stayed on Euphemia Coin and her father; they were looking desperately at each other, their eyes shining with tears threatening to fall. And before Hannah had a _chance_ to get around _that._ She heard footsteps, quick, heavy and loud - peacekeepers.

She needed to find a better hiding place _now_.

She spared one more like at the screen. Both her father and Euphemia Coin's faces glared up at her with pure anger.

'Stay hidden. Stay in the woods. Do _NOT_ come out until I tell you'.

Those were the words her father had told her continuously since he returned from the Games last year. That he had come to the woods yesterday to remind her to obey. But ... but ... she was the best at being secret ... she thought she had been the best at being secret ... But from her father's face she _knew_ she was in seriously big trouble with him. She wouldn't become the third Quarter Quell Victor. She was certain her father would kill her first.

Uploaded: 19/6/16

 _AN: Nice father's day upload - jaja. Plan this to be a multi fic, not too many chapters - maybe five in total. The plan is to make it one of many fics to come based on the moves and counter moves of Effie and Pres Snow, and her keeping Victors' children from him, but we'll see. This particular one is based on the HG of course, but also has aspects of Hana - the film, and Lord of the Flies._

 _Just for this fic because I know it is going to be questioned: Haymitch (50th), Enorbia (51st), Finnick (62nd) and Johanna (63rd), Annie (64th or 66th ish), K and P (74th) are all Victors from District 12. Mags is actually the old escort of D12 and is used as an example to other escorts because she had a baby with a D4 victor or person and her child was sent to the HG and killed. It will be mainly Effie, Haymitch, Hannah and the other tribute for the first few chapters, but then Mags and the rest should be appearing in the later chapters.  
_

 _Rated M. I don't know how much it will evolve to an M - but I like to have the rating just to be safe :)_

 _Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your views. Until next update!_


	2. Chapter 2

Moves and Counter Moves: Hannah

Chapter Two : The Goodbye  


 _Sunday 28th June - Reaping Day  
_ _District 12_

Palms and face sweating, heart jammering in her throat; hands and knees gripping on to the drainpipe for dear life. The peacekeepers had Hannah surrounded, she quickly realised as she hovered over the ground.

And they had semi-automatic riffles.

 _And_ they were from the outside. They didn't look like the two that stumbled around the town all day and night; shirts unbuttoned, bottled drinks in both hands. _These_ looked alert and ready to fire the semi-automatic riffles at _her_.

Hannah dared make eye contact with one of them. Their eyes gleamed back at her, like a Fox about to jump its prey.

... Maybe she should go back up?

She starts to climb, only to find the view of peacekeeper weaponry pointing at her from the window she had just escaped from.

She blinks away the water that has started to collect in her eyes, but she knows full well that the knife she had put in her sock won't help her against semi-automatic riffles.

Where was her Papa?

They were going to fire those riffles at her and it was going to hurt.

She closes her eyes tightly, trying to block out her fear, and instead hum the song, Sae, used to sing to her when she was a little girl.

Sae.

She can hear her singing. Singing louder than the angry noises echoing around her.

But then the echo gets louder.

Loud shouting.

So Hannah, screws her eyes tighter, clinging stronger to the drainpipe, and hums LOUDER.

But _now_ the old woman is no longer singing, she is shouting loudly at her too.

Screwing eyes tighter, humming louder. Hannah wants to be back in her quiet little house with all her books, Silver and Bufo. She wants -

The silencing echoey crack shook through Hannah's body.

Silencing the verse instantly on her lips.

Silencing the loud noises around her too.

Silence.

She hears her father's voice call her name, breaking the silence - But there is something wrong with how it sounds. Odd ... So, she furrows her eyebrows and clings on to the drainpipe so tightly, her whole body is shaking.

His voice is now ordering her to come down. It sounds a bit more normal now. So, slowly, she pries her eyes open and looks in the direction of his voice.

Joy spreads through her as he stands at the bottom of the drainpipe, directly underneath her, arms open for her.

She _knew_ that if she only closed her eyes and waited for his voice, when she opened them again, he would be there for her.

Just like he always was!

With a grin so firmly fixed in place, she slides gingerly down into his arms, which wrap around her instantly in a tight hold. The back of his hand burying her head into his chest. She appreciatively breathes in his scent - even if it was much too sweet than normal - it had been a long time since he had held her like this. And must mean that he is no longer angry at her.

"Just stay where you are, Shorty, and don't lift your head until I tell you to".

Not that she would be able to, she realises, as she fails against his rigid hold, to nod her affirmation into his chest.

~xXx~

"Is she OK?"

"What happened?"

"We heard a gun shot?"

"Prim?"

Voices all spoke at the same time. Distorted because of the way her father's grip had her. He had walked them somewhere, up a few steps and through some heavy doors, that closed loudly behind them. Her father was easing the hold though now, and lowering her onto her two feet. She felt him fix her skirt in place.

"It wasn't Prim", her father. His voice came from right in front of her.

"Who?"

"Where's Effie?"

"In hell for all I care", her father.

Hannah blinks rapidly. It was taking a while for her eyes to focus and to stop the white and black spots; they had been forced into her father's chest so hard. Her ears rang from the intensity of his grip, and her neck and waist, where he held her was throbbing too.

"It was Sae", her father and his face was slowly coming into focus too.

Grey eyes.

Thick knitted black eyebrows.

Thick pink lips, all framed by black curly hair.

Her Papa. He had helped her escape those peacekeepers, because he was the Quell Victor, and all feared him! She grinned widely at him.

"Where's Effie? She followed you, Haymitch".

But her father's eyes are looking at her with sadness. He had a wetness in them and she wondered vaguely if he had been _crying_.

"What did I tell you, Hannah?" he suddenly grabs her shoulders and shakes her violently, a complete contrast to the emotion he is showing. "Why couldn't you stay in the woods like I told you?" He stills her and waits for her to answer.

"Because I want to play", her voice scratchy. Her father was hurting her, she didn't like it. And she had done nothing wrong! "I want to win the games"

"How many times do I have to tell you. Nobody wins the games, Hannah!"

"But-"

"- _Where is Effie_ , Haymitch?!" A hand grabs at her father's shoulder unkindly, and Hannah growls, baring her teeth and sinking them hard into the pale white knuckles.

"Hannah, let go", her father.

But she only sinks her teeth in deeper, sneering at the one legged Bread Man, who _dared_ offend her father.

Something hard pinches her nose and makes her release her grip instantly.

The Hunting Woman looks down at her with an icy cold stare.

"That's enough, Katniss", her father. "Let go of my daughter", a growl in his voice that always sent shivers through Hannah. But it wasn't until the Bread Man placed a hand on the Hunting Woman's shoulder, did she relent.

Hannah wrinkled her nose at its release before hissing at the woman, showing her bare teeth, ready to be sharpened.

"Are we sure this isn't Enorbia's, and not Effie?"

 _'Enorbia'_

Curiosity peaked, Hannah moved her snarl towards - but ... _it was Finnick Odair!_

 _Finnick Odair._

She raced straight up to him and looked up at him in awe.

He was _SO_ much bigger in person. He no longer had the scar that ran from his right eyebrow to his lip, from when he had taken a hit from the tribute from District 1's sword! But that was alright, he still looked menacing. _And i_ _t was definitely him!_ He was normally _always_ in the Capitol.

There was a laugh beside them.

"I think you have an admirer, Findick"

 _Johanna Mason._

She _stepped back_ this time in awe. She had never seen her up _this_ close.

"Don't say that word around her", and the sound of heavy doors closing, echoed again.

"What word? It's his name"

"There's Effie", her father.

"Effie!" the voices sounded so alarmed, and suddenly everyone's eyes weren't crowded around her in a semi circle; they were behind her.

Hannah turned to see what all the commotion was about this Effie name she had heard speak so many times in the short whi-

 _\- Euphemia Coin._

Hannah gasped.

As she lived and breathed.

 _And_ covered head to torso in blood.

Her murderous eyes locked on Hannah.

Hannah felt herself wobble, but quickly recovered, snarling, bearing her teeth, she pulled out the knife she had hidden in her sock and _lunged_ at her target.

The Angel of Death screamed her war cry, but Hannah didn't get far, being picked up in the air suddenly, her knife clattering to the ground.

"What on _Earth_!" the bloodied butterfly woman squawked.

There was loud laughter. Johanna Mason. She was in Johanna Mason's arms and she was laughing at Euphemia Coin.

Hannah decided to join too.

"How many hours were you in labour, Coin, and this is how she repays you?!"

Hannah doesn't quite understand what she is saying but by the way Euphemia Coin was looking at them, it must have been something deeply insulting. So Hannah laughed louder.

"That's enough, Johanna", came a voice, Hannah only knew too well from the movies.

 _Enorbia Meycrenden._

As _she_ lived and breathed.

Hannah's eyes went wide, her jaw slackened.

"Save this for your games. For your real enemy", Enorbia Meycrenden told _her,_ and she felt her put the knife back in her sock.

Enorbia Meycrenden.

Hannah used to ask her father repeatedly if he was _sure_ Enorbia Meycrenden wasn't her mother, and he repeatedly told Hannah that no, her mother had died giving birth to her. Birth. _Noun_. 'The emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother. The start of life as a physically separate being'. Hannah didn't doubt that she had died in birth, she had watched a doe give birth out of interest, and there was a lot of blood - But Enorbia Meycrenden was _now_ analysing _her_ , with a twist of a smile on her face, that Hannah was far too in shock to respond to.

"She looks like you, Haymitch"

And Hannah hisses at her, showing her teeth, because she wants to show Enorbia Meycrenden, that she's like her too.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, this is your number one fan", her father's voice comes from next to her.

"I don't know if that's a good thing" - Enorbia Meycrenden, and Hannah nods her head violently. Yes! _Yes_ , it is a good thing.

Enorbia Meycrenden smiles before she finally did what Hannah had been waiting for. She hisses at her in a similar style, showing her rows of perfectly white, gloriously, sharpened set of carnivore teeth.

Hannah's heart fills with so much love and admiration that she launches from Johanna Mason's arms into Enorbia Meycrenden's. Burying her nose, deep into her neck, so that she can have a track of her scent. Hannah at that moment doesn't care what her father says, Enorbia Meycrenden is her mother, and when she returns from her games a Victor, they will all live together in her father's house as a family.

"It will keep her alive in the games", her father.

"Why didn't you tell me, Haymitch?" Enorbia Meycrenden.

"Why didn't you drown her more like?" Johanna Mason.

"Johanna!"

"You know, I always knew you were a bitch, Coin", Johanna Mason was laughing loud again, and Hannah plucks her head out of Enorbia Meycrenden's neck to watch. "But I never pegged you as a stupid bitch". Johanna Mason is doubled over laughing, and Hannah, seeing again how much it irritates Euphemia Coin, decides to join in again.

"Stupid bitch", Hannah repeats the term, that she again does not really understand the phraseology of. But it made Euphemia Coin's eyes glower even more, and her teeth clench. "Stupid bitch", again.

"Hannah", her father's stern voice. "That's enough", taking her out of Enorbia Meycrenden's arms and firmly locking her in his. "Don't you have another name to draw out?" he was addressing that woman!

"I can hardly like this can I?" Euphemia squawks. Glowering now at her father.

Hannah hisses at her again, until her father's hand silences it.

"Well, I suggest you hurry up and get changed, so we can continue this show, before anyone else gets hurt".

"There's been a change of plans", Enorbia Meycrenden speaks, but Hannah keeps her icy stare on Euphemia Coin storming off.

"Of course there has".

"President Snow has requested that Peeta, Katniss and Finnick stay, and that only you and Effie accompany the ... the tributes", and Hannah's ear perk at the word. Enorbia Meycrenden is looking at her with sadness, so Hannah smiles gleefully at her. She doesn't want Enorbia Meycrenden to be worried about her. She was going to win the games and -

"I guess they're not going to let me go back home and pack", her father. "I guess they have been planning this for sometime"

"And so have you", Enorbia Meycrenden's voice cuts off her father's, and the way she is touching his arm; Hannah _knew_ that they would get married when she returned from her games, and they would live like a normal town family. "It seems like you have been training our Hannah for sometime", and Enorbia Meycrenden smiled at her _again._

 _Our._

Her father had been Enorbia Meycrenden's mentor you see. She won exactly the year after her father, and had been best friends ever since, _and_ had brought home _five_ Victors together.

"Here you go", the Hunter Woman was suddenly in front of Hannah, with a metal circle thing in her hand. The woman pinned it on her t-shirt.

Hannah fingered the silver thing, it had a Mockingjay and an arrow on it.

"For luck", the woman said and Hannah looked at the woman, who was looking back at her. She was pretty, she looked like Papa.

"And here", the Bread Man, replaced the woman, giving Hannah a paper bag filled with something. From the smell of it, those sweet foods, she would sometimes swipe in the early morning when he was cooking and had left his door open. His hair was white and curly like hers. His skin was also white like hers. The only two people she had interacted with in her life had darker skin, dark hair...

Johanna Mason laughed loudly again. "Are you both serious right now? That was your great mentoring tricks. A bag of cookies and an old talisman".

"Worked for me", the Hunting Woman growled at Johanna Mason. And Hannah was beginning to second guess her father in not showing her this woman's movie. "And I managed to bring Peeta home too".

"Fuck you, Brainless. That wasn't _you_. That was Haymitch and Effie. And fuck knows how many people Finnick had to fu-"

"-Johanna"

"No. She thinks she's _so_ fucking perfect and-"

Johanna Mason's voice was cut off by the sound of doors banging open, that made Hannah jump. Turning towards the sound, there was a line of peacekeepers-

"-no Hannah, don't look", her father's hand tries to cover her eyes, but one of the peacekeepers has _her Sae_. And she is bleeding a lot of blood.

Hannah bites her father's hand _hard_ and wriggles out of his hold. Dodging the other hands that try to stop her. Knife pulled out and at the ready, she charges. Only to have her vision splattered with blood.

The loud echoey crack having sounded again in the distance.

But right in front of her, her Sae lay still, forehead to the ground. A horrible gaping hole in the back of her neck, and blood quickly surrounding her body.

Her Sae.

She felt a lightness.

And then...

Darkness.

~xXx~

Rousing, the first thing Hannah acknowledges is that she feels like she is going to regurgitate her breakfast.

What had happened?

That peacekeeper had killed her Sae with a riffle and she had not been able to stop him.

She was weak.

She _is_ weak.

It had made her weak.

So weak, she had given up to just stop and stare.

She was soft. The curse of her colour hair had made her soft and she had faltered. And then ... she fell into darkness and lightheadedness and now she is here.

Where is here?

Where is her Papa?

There was something rubbing on her ankle.

It is soft.

Ticklish maybe.

Comforting.

She opens her eyes.

The light is bright.

Glass. Dangly bright glass, which make her eyes squint.

She squints away.

Wood. Chairs. Table.

Cushions.

Silver.

It is all too shiny and smells too sickly sweet.

She can hear humming too, but it isn't Sae.

She decides to close her eyes again.

"Don't wake her", an angry voice. Hannah's eyes blink open. _That_ was her father.

The humming stops and so does the movements on her ankle.

"I was just looking at her", a tension releases from what Hannah is laid down on.

Euphemia _Coin_ walks past her. Same hairstyle, different dress. Yellow like her hair. Still stuck to her like skin.

"She _does_ look like you, Mitch".

"Don't", her father's voice warning, and Hannah sits to peak her head over the large chair she is on.

"Don't what?" Euphemia Coin.

"Pretend that you care", her father snarls, and Hannah's fingers tingle in excitement. Ready to go into attack mode.

She goes for her knife, but it was no longer there!

 _Her!_

She _must_ have taken it from her. _That was the movement on her ankle!_

Hannah turns back and peers over the seating.

She had always thought her father a giant, but Euphemia Coin is the same height as him.

"I do care, Haymitch. And don't you fucking _dare_ accuse me not of", she is making herself a drink from the different coloured bottles on the table. Her drink comes out _pink_!

Watered down blood?

Flesh?

Hannah momentarily wonders before her perplexment turns to the fact that Euphemia Coin is stood _right next_ to her father, they're sides actually _touching_ and yet he does _nothing_.

"All I'm saying is you obviously didn't go down on her well enough. Maybe you didn't let her fuck you har-"

Euphemia Coin's claws hit her father clear across his face.

Hannah decides she will strangle the woman with her own two hands.

Sneaking round the furniture, the adults are so lost staring daggers at each other.

"Or maybe it is the other way round. What do I know?" her father shrugs, and Hannah catches the moment when the corner of his eye realises what she is about to do, but it is too late.

With a heavy leap, Hannah climbs up Euphemia Coin's back and wraps her hands around her throat, before biting into the flesh of her neck.

"Hannah!" her father shouts at her, while the woman starts her squawks again. "Let go of her!" she can feel him trying to carefully pull her off her, without trying to hurt the woman.

Hannah doesn't know what this woman has done to disarm her father so, _but it is not working on her!_

She then feels teeth painfully sink into the back of her neck and she cries out more over the shock of it than the pain. Then hands wrap around her neck, not tightly, but it is enough to know that her father is serious for her to let go.

Euphemia Coin, whips around to look at her. Her father has her locked in one of his arms. "Don't hurt her, Haymitch!" she squawks, and if Hannah is not mistaken, she actually flies off the floor a bit, as her arms flap like wings.

"I'm not hurting her!" he shouts back, but Hannah does feel him loosed her grip on her slightly. Her father then snorts, "you do realise, it was _her_ hands and _her_ teeth that were trying to suck the life out of you".

Euphemia Coin hisses at her father like a snake, spit actually flying, her eyes looking green like one too. She's stepping closer to them, her attention no longer on her, but her father.

Hannah takes her chance again, swiping her hand at the woman. Her nails successfully catching the skin on her cheek, creating a red mark.

Well, it's something.

"Don't get _close_ to her", her father warns again, stepping back.

"And why is that, Mitch? What _lies_ have you told her about me", some of her words fall onto Hannah's face, she is hissing so fervently.

"No lies, Sweetheart. The truth. That you are a blood thirsty Capitol, who lives and entertains to bring children to their death. You are so fucking lustful for it, Sweetheart, you thought you would have your own", Euphemia Coin tries to attack them again with her claws, but her father dodges out of the way, so it falls in the air. That doesn't stop the woman from trying a few more swats. Her father dodging them all. "So that you could one day watch her have her guts splayed on national television!"

Something flies past Hannah's face and crashes loudly against the wall.

"That is not true and you know it!" flying in the air again. Her scream impressive. So much so, that she has to catch her voice. "You have no idea", the woman puffs out of breath. She's used up all her energy. Her eyes look defeated. Her voice wheezy. Her father managed to disarm her without so much laying a hand on her. " _NO IDEA_ what I have been put through, what I have had to _do_ these near 13 years, to keep her a secret".

Hannah feels her go loose in her father's arms again.

Something changes in the woman's eyes.

Suddenly her father has positioned her on the floor and he is marching towards Euphemia Coin.

He pins the woman to the wall. Her piled up hair cushions the force of it.

Hannah decides to stay still in the spot her father left her in, as she has never seen him look so angry. So ... alpha male. Never seen him attack anyone in person. Not even after she almost drowned in the lake did he look as ferocious as he was now.

Euphemia Coin however, obviously had, or had seen others, because she didn't flinch.

"What did she do to you?" her father demanded. His voice quiet but at the same time filling up the entire room.

The woman stares at her father for a few seconds, chin stuck out in defiance, before moving her head away from him.

But her father locks the woman's neck in his hand, so that she has to stare at him, and raises her wrist above her, crushing his body into hers. "What did she do to you?" her father's voice sounding so dangerous. "What did that _bitch_ make you do?"

Silence.

Her father shakes the woman violently.

"Why do you care?!" she shoots back. "Mitch, you're _hurting_ me", she tries in a different voice, trying to wriggle free.

But the snarl only increases on her fathers face. And in a blink he has pushed all the things that cluttered the table next to Hannah, it makes an almighty noise and she has to quickly step out of the way, so more doesn't fall on her. But her father ignores this, lowering the woman on to it, until he is hovering over her.

Hannah has to give the woman credit because she still doesn't even flinch.

Just what kind of warrior is this woman?

This must disarm her father though because he loosens his grip on her wrist and brings it to stroke his fingers gently on her cheek.

Getting closer and closer, his fingers getting softer on her face, until he rests his forehead against hers and whispers something.

The only thing that Hannah registers is the name, Mia.

The woman moves her head to the side. Her watery eyes landing on Hannah. She blinks them away and looks elsewhere, but her father hooks his finger around her chin and brings it back, so she is once again looking at him.

"Not in front of Hannah", the woman pleads, resting a hand on her father's face, before sliding it carefully off. It looks _affectionate._

Her father then brushes his lips against Euphemia Coin's. Perhaps to encourage her to say whatever it is he wants her to say. Again, Hannah doesn't quite understand. But Hannah _does_ understand that this woman isn't going to say anything, so picks up a broken bottle near her foot and targets the woman's neck.

This does make Euphemia Coin flinch. Her father too as he picks her up again and pins Hannah against the wall by his hand around her waist.

"Mitch", Euphemia Coin squawks, rushing towards them. "Let go of her!"

Hannah's heart is beating in her throat as she now gets the blunt of her father's rage.

"Don't touch her".

Both Hannah and Euphemia Coin look at each other. Was he talking to her or to her?

"Stop hurting her!" the woman screams, ignoring her father's words. "You're hurting your daughter".

Hannah hisses, swiping her hand at Euphemia Coin, to at least get another scratch on her.

"Stop trying to touch her". And again, Hannah doesn't know which one he is talking to. "Can't you get it through that thick skull of yours", turning from Hannah to Euphemia Coin, "she _wants to_ kill you. You are her enemy".

His words make the woman flinch.

The woman then looks at Hannah with wide eyes, hand on heart. Hannah sees that she has added a few more scratches to her chest and smiles smugly about this. Before hissing again at the women, to show off all her teeth.

Her target storms out of the room.

Hannah flinches to move after her. "Don't Hannah", her father breathing heavily. "Sweetheart," he lowers her off the wall to stand on her feet, "she is no longer your target". Her father looks exhausted, defeated and breathless, just like Euphemia Coin had. "She is your ally, Sweetheart. You can't hurt her".

"But what if she tries to kill me?"

"She isn't going to kill you, Sweetheart. Not in that way, at least. I never meant in that way. I should have realised you would take it that way though".

"But how do you know-"

"Because she is your mother, Hannah. _Your mother_ ", her father's grey eyes bore into hers. "Your mother won't kill you".

Mother?

That woman was her ... her mother?

"But you said-"

"I know what I said", he rests a hand on her shoulder, resting his defeated weight. "But that woman is your mother".

Her mother?

She blinks back tears. "Some mother's kill their young if they are weak", she had seen it.

"But you're not weak, Hannah"

"I am", Hannah cries out suddenly, surprising herself as well as her father. But suddenly she feels so tired about the whole day and everything that has happened. She wanted to play the games, she wanted the win the games so much. But now she wishes, she had listened to her father and that she would still be in her little house in the woods. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you Papa! I'm s-s-sorry I couldn't s-save Saeeee", she starts crying. "I'm weak and soft. I'm cursed".

"You are not cursed", he kneels to her height, placing a sturdy hand on her other shoulder, being strong for her now. "And you are so strong. You are going to win the games. But then your mother is going to want to take you. Do you understand? She is going to want to keep you in the Capitol, and keep you away from me".

"NO", Hannah flung her arms around her father's neck and buried her nose in his shoulder. "I will never let that happen. I'm sorry, I didn't listen to you, Papa. I want to go back home. I don't like these games anymore".

"We can only now go back if you win the games". Her father rubs her back, and it is comforting. "I know you are angry and confused. I know because I have been here too, and after everything that has happened today and what you have learnt. You must be feeling it a hundred times more. But that anger you must save for when you are in the games, so that you can fight, and you can win, and we can go back to District 12 together".

"But Sae won't be there", she cries, knowing she sounds very much like a baby.

"She is watching over us now. We are in her hands".

Hannah didn't know what her father was talking about. Sae was dead. She had seen it with her own two eyes. But the way her father was holding her was comforting.

Uploaded: 27/6/2016  
Updated: 4/7/2016


	3. Chapter 3

Moves and Countermoves: Hannah

Chapter 3: The Train Journey

 _Monday 29th June - the train.  
_

Sudden light burns Hannah's eyes and she wakes up with a start. She blinks her eyes rapidly to focus, but her eyes are heavy and don't want to stay open, her whole body feels heavy. Heavy in comfort, warmth, her father's scent, but it is also juxtaposed by the chill and heart-racing tension of unfamilarness. Her stomach still feels funny, and that the contents whirling around may soon make her throw up.

"Hannah", her father's voice rumbles from underneath her, and she realises that she is kneeling on him. "Fuck, Effie", he lets out what almost sounds like a sob to Hannah. "It's too early".

"No its not", comes a stern high pitched voice, and Hannah's head snaps up to register Euphemia Coin. Her figure silhouetting the sunlight, so that Hannah can atlast take in her surroundings better. "The sun is up. Today is a big, big day", she declares, her cold eyes studying the two of them.

The woman is a mess of coulours that makes Hannah's eyes hurt all over again, her attire makes Hannah draw similarities between her and the parrot or the toucan birds that she read about in one of her father's books. She looks even more ridiculous than she had the previous day, her face even more painted.

"... There ... there is a lot to be", she continues, slowly, almost breathlessly, "... done before our train arrives Wednesday morning".

Hannah can't detect the emotion Euphemia Coin is portraying, but it is odd.

Her father clears his throat, sitting up, making her fall off his chest on to the soft bouncy bedding. "You look ridiculous, Coin", finishing the brown liquid in his glass. "Really, you outdid yourself", he says, getting up. Hannah shadows him. "Tell me, will your wife be there to welcome us?"

"She very well may be. But she is quite frankly the least of my concerns", her eyes continue to track both of them from where she is stood. But that is OK, because Hannah is also tracking her from behind her father's form.

"Really?" her father asks, he walks over to where Euphemia Coin is standing and is now almost nose to nose with her. "We still need to have our little chat", he whispers.

Hannah, being so close to Euphemia Coin, can't help but stare at the blank whiteness of the woman's leg; no sign of the smallest cut or scar. She is perched on leopard print, very high pointy shoes, and Hannah briefly wonders if this woman killed the animal herself for the fur. But after another glance at her, she decides probably not.

"I do not want to talk about it", Euphemia Coin whispers back. Her concentration is no longer on Hannah but on her father. "What is done is done. I would do it a hundred times over again, in a heart beat, for her. This is where we are now, and our main concern is getting Hannah through the games".

"I-"

" _Please_ , yesterday was very ugly", Euphemia Coin interrupts her father, making Hannah's eyes bulge at her braveness, "let us not have a repeat", and her eyes fall back on Hannah.

"Fine", her father says, stepping back a few inches. "But we _are_ having that chat, and _I_ will decide if what is done, is done".

"Fine. Now, she needs to have a shower, she is filthy".

~xXX~

"Why did you breed her?" Hannah asks. They were in the shower. Euphemia Coin was waiting the other side of the door. Steam was everywhere, the water was like hot rain and Hannah was loving playing in it. Her's and her father's skin smelt of oranges from the liquid that had dispersed from the wall into her father's hand, which he had then put into hers and said, 'wash everywhere twice'. He had washed her hair until that had also smelt like oranges too.

"What?" her father asks.

"Why did you breed with Euphemia Coin?" Hannah repeats. She had wondered it on and off since her father had told her that she was her mother. Euphemia Coin was from the Capitol, they were from District 12. There were plenty of women in District 12 to breed. Euphemia Coin, from what she had witnessed, appeared only to know how to squawk and flap her hands like a pink ostrich. Her only defense was her extremely long nail like claws, and some strange power she had over her father to do the things she demanded. So why mate with a female who lived in another land and was not there to look after her young?

Euphemia Coin suddenly shouts something, but Hannah misses it.

"Fuck", her father mutters, and turns away from her. The shower suddenly stops but her father continues muttering while he searches for something. "Give me your hand", he instructs, and she does obediently.

He has a small brush in his hand and starts to brush away at her fingers, she watches somewhat mesmirised as it brushes away the remaining dirt under nails.

"It was a mistake".

"OK", she answers.

She was a mistake.

"What is this called?" she asks, wiggling her fingers.

"A nail brush"

"Nail brush", she repeats.

"It brushes the dirt away from your nails and toenails. I am brushing away the dirt from your nails with a nail brush".

"Understood".

~xXX~

"Clean enough for you?" her father asks when he opens the door.

"She is a completely different skin tone"

"Congratulations", her father scoffs.

Clouds of steam follow them out the shower room. Her father has wrapped her in a big fluffy white towel that she likes the feel and smell of very much. Her comfort is quickly gone however, when she feels Euphemia Coin's hand on her head. So close to her neck! It burns her like the sun she used to wake her up this morning.

Alarmed, even more so to find that her father is not by her side but across the room, Hannah instinctively hisses at the woman and scuttles away as best as she can in her tight wrapping to where her father is putting on clothes.

"Like approaching a wild baby bird who has been abandoned from her mother since birth, starved for days, and has injured her wings, Effie", her father mutters.

"I was merely checking to see you had conditioned her hair properly", the woman hisses.

"And?"

"Satisfactory, however, you did not cut her nails", Euphemia Coin mutters back.

~xXX~

Hannah is biting her lip to stop the tears from falling when there is a hard knock on door. Hannah, naturally with everything from this trip, jumps in shock over it.

"You are being much to heavy handed, Haymitch. How many times do I have to tell you? Work from the ends up".

"I've been doing this for almost half an hour now! Let me just cut it all off!".

"You will do no such thing, Haymitch!"

"It is not worth the cramp which is building in my hand"

"We change nothing until Cinna has seen her. I could do it for you if you hadn't scared her half to death of me"

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?"

"Certainly not mine!"

Hannah watches the two of them arguing in the mirror. In their own world. Seemingly not even hearing the knock on the door. It has been like that since the shower, which must have been verging on an hour ago. Constantly spitting and shouting words at each other, most which Hannah cannot understand the phraseology of. Her head is starting to hurt a lot, and her stomach still feels it wants to be sick.

The second round of knocking is even louder.

"What?!" they both shout at the same time.

A man in grey uniform walks in, a peacekeeper behind him.

Hannah tenses, her eyes zoning in on the semi-automatic rifle the peacekeeper holds ready in his hand. But her view is quickly changed to the back of her father's legs as he stands in front of her.

"What is this?" Euphemia Coin's voice screeches, panicky, standing up to join her father. "These are private living compartments".

"Effie, please, sit down", her father's voice firm, angry.

"Haymitch?"

Hannah still can't see anything but the black of her father's trousers.

"Effie", her father warns.

"But-"

"Sit down", he orders. "Stay with Hannah. We're just going to have a chat aren't we gentlemen? Hannah", she can tell by the tone that he is addressing her now, and she turns her head to look up at him. He looks calm. "Remember what I said to you. Do everything she says. If you want to go back to District 12, do everything she says. Do you understand?"

Hannah nods, "I understand".

"For real this time, Hannah. Remember what happened the last time you didn't do as your told?"

She nods, her eyes filling slightly with tears as she remembers her Sae with a sticky red hole in the back of her head. Her blood pouring out on to the floor around her. Her one silver starry eyes, cold and unmoving.

"You don't want that to happen to your Papa, right?"

" _Haymitch!_ " Euphemia Coin.

"Hannah?" her father is firm.

She shakes her head and bows it to hide her shameful tears. "I will listen for real this time", she manages, her throat and eyes feel hot and painful.

And just like that her father leaves the room, leaving her and Euphemia Coin in silence.

"I am going to finish brushing your hair", Euphemia Coin says after a while, her breathing is ragged. Hannah shrugs feeling empty over her father's words.

"You have such beautiful hair, Hannah", Euphemia Coin's hands and movements are delicate.

Hannah shrugs. She hates her own hair. She wishes it was black like her father's. Only weak, cursed, people have her colour hair. This woman knows nothing.

"So many people in the capital are going to be envious of it".

Hannah thinks how she hates the capitol, and all the people that live in it, Euphemia Coin included. If it was not for them, she would live with her Papa and Sae, not in the forest all alone.

"Your father should not have said what he said to you. You are not responsible for him".

But her words only upset Hannah more, as she imagines her father with a similar wound at the back of his neck. His silver starry eyes, also cold and unmoving.

"I am very sorry about what happened to your, Sae, Hannah. She was a very lovely woman"

Curiosity gets the best of Hannah. "You knew my Sae?", she asks, turning to look the woman in the eye to detect her lie.

Euphemia Coin's cold eyes stare into hers. She nods. "I knew your Sae very well. She-"

"That's not possible", Hannah dismisses. "My Sae would never be friends with the Angel of Death. That's you by the way", she says, staring just as coldly back at her, before turning back to staring at nothing.

Euphemia Coin lets out a heavy sigh, but continues with Hannah's hair.

~xXX~

"Your hair is done", Euphemia Coin declares after some time and Hannah looks up to look at her reflection. She can't contain her smile as she sees that Euphemia Coin has weaved her hair into two braids, just like the other little girls in the town.

"Do you like it?" Euphemia Coin asks and Hannah drops her smile and shrugs. "It is the first time I have done it on anyone else but myself".

And again, curiosity bubbles in Hannah. "You don't have children in the Capitol?"

What looks like a smile cracks on Euphemia Coin's mask. She shakes her head, no.

"Did they die?"

"No. I mean, I have only have one child, Hannah", she says, staring directly at Hannah.

"Why?" she asks. From what she has observed, most mothers in the town have at least two children, average four, once they have birthed one.

"Because I already have you", she breathes, and Hannah clocks how her left eye fills with water. "Hannah, I do not know wha-", Euphemia Coin starts, and then stops, purses her lips, and closes her eyes. The tear drop falls and Euphemia coin turns her back on Hannah, before turning back round a moment later. Traces of the tear, gone. "May I ask you a question now, Hannah?" she asks, perching herself on the bed behind her.

Hannah frowns.

"It is only fair, is it not? I have answered your questions, and you do like the braids I have put in your hair".

Hannah nods.

Euphemia Coin nods and goes to open her mouth but is cut off by the door opening and her father coming through, alone.

"Everyone here OK?" he asks.

Euphemia Coin jumps up and walks straight to her father.

"What happened? Are you OK?"

Haymitch nods, his eyes finding Hannah.

Hannah stares back at him. Unmoving.

"What did they do to you? What did they want? Euphemia Coin continues to squawk.

"The boy. He had an accident. The attendant found him", Haymitch says, moving his gaze from Hannah to Euphemia Coin. "Apparently he was too scared to leave the room or even open the door to find the bathroom. He was pretty upset, so I helped him calm down and clean himself up and got him some food".

"But why the peacekeeper?"

"I think that was just to scare us. Fine escort you are, Sweetheart. Tell me, did you look in on the boy since you disposed him into his room last night?"

"I, I, well I forgot about him. But anyway, he is not my concern, he is not our concern".

"That's cold. Especially for you".

"He is not son".

"He is also not your enemy".

"Any tribute not Hannah is our enemy".

Haymitch snorts, "I don't think we have to worry about that boy being any competition. You better fix that attitude back before we get to the Capitol, your fans are not going to like it, and it's also so very not you".

"I think that's where your wrong, Haymitch", she says, getting incredibly close to her father. "I think they will love it, after all, we Capitols are all blood thirsty beasts, hungry for the brutal spilling of young district blood. Isn't that right?"

"You", her father pokes her, so she falls back a little, "don't decide anything until we have discussed our approach with Cinna and Portia".

Hannah thought that they had forgotten she was in the room, but her father walks towards her and then picks her up into his strong arms. It makes her towel fall off her but her father's arms are always so secure and warm, that she snuggles her face in the crook of his neck like she likes to do and breathes in his scent. "You have to be perfect. I swear, Coin, if you fuck up in anyway, if she does not come out of that arena alive, I will kill you with my own two hands!", he shouts. "Hannah is with me today, you tomorrow! Today, you coach the boy!"

There is silence for a long time.

"You don't have to worry, Haymitch, I will be perfect", Euphemia Coin says. "I will lie, smile, kiss and anything else that needs doing to ensure Hannah wins. And she _will_ win Haymitch".

Hannah heard her shoes clack out the room and the door close behind her.

"Why do I have to listen to everything she says if you hate her?" Hannah mumbles into his shoulder.

Her father sighs, sitting down with her. "I don't hate her, and you have to listen to her because she is the best at what she does"

Hannah wrinkles her nose. "At pulling peoples' names out of boxes"

"No, at making everyone love her"

Hannah wrinkles her nose at this too, unconvinced that 'making everyone love her' is a skill that will help you win the games. "The way you were speaking to her made it sound like you hate her, and you said you would kill her with your own two hands", she says, lifting her head to look deep into his eyes.

Her father smiles. "It's just the way adults talk sometimes. Can I trust you with a secret?"

Hannah nods. She loves it when her father shares his secrets with her. It's very rare, but when he does, it makes her feel so special.

"I ... like Effie. She gave me you, so I like her. ... So, I like her a lot. More than a lot. Do you understand what I'm saying?" his eyes search hers.

"Love".

Her father seems to consider this and then nods, yes. "I just love you more".

At this, Hannah hugs him, joy filling her heart. "You love me?"

"You know I love you", he says, grabbing her chin and bringing her to look him in the eyes again. "And your mother is right. You are going to win. This is what we've been preparing for, right?" he nods at her. "Right?" he asks again, his filling with water.

Hannah nods, grinning. "Hannah Abernathy. Winner of the 75th Hunger Games! Third Quell Winner!" she exclaims.

"Right, now, let's get ready to play the games".


	4. Chapter 4

Moves and Countermoves: Hannah

Chapter 4: The Welcome Makeover

 _Wednesday 1 July_

 _The Capitol._

"Why the delay?" her father asks. After two days of wearing loose clothing he is back in his reaping clothes because they are now in the Capitol. Hannah had seen it from the window as the train began to slow down. It had looked like lots of vertical blocks on an island from far away, but as they had gotten closer, Hannah realised that those vertical blocks were taller than any tree she had ever seen in her life. Sky scrappers. That is what they called them in her father's book, and they did literally scrape the sky. But it had gone very fast and the window had shown nothing but darkness for maybe half an hour now.

"There were a few fatal accidents on the line", Euphemia Coin enters her and her father's train compartment. She had left the compartment around the same time and the longer she was away the more her father had paced up and down the compartment, hands making fists as if he was ready to fight, and his muttering got angrier and angrier. "Apparently the station is packed and when everyone heard our train approaching, it started a stampede, the train couldn't stop in time".

Her father nods. Biting his lip. He seems worried to Hannah. Nervous. She has never witnessed him in this manner.

Hannah gets up from where she has been staring at her reflection in the mirror and walks over to her father and puts her hand in his. She has seen Euphemia Coin do it once or twice these past two days and it always seems to soothe him.

Her father picks her up and crushes her into his embrace.

"They're all here for her, Mitch", Euphemia, joins him by his side. She too looks worried and nervous.

"Well, that can only be a good thing, right?"

And Euphemia Coin nods.

She is most odd, Euphemia Coin. She asks Hannah odd questions like what her favourite colour is or what her favourite food is, and she won't settle for I don't know, or just one word answers, Hannah always has to explain to her why. She asks Hannah about her father and Sae, and what it was like to live alone in the forest. Some of her answers, Hannah can see make her upset.

Euphemia Coin also has odd rules on how to eat, how to sit, how to talk to people, and it is a good thing that Hannah is a fast learner, because Euphemia Coin has a lot of rules.

Now that she is not trying to kill her, Hannah finds her quite a fascinating person to watch. 'Quite', that is a word that Euphemia Coin likes to say a lot. She also emphaises on saying 'please' and 'thank-you' when you want something and after it has been giving to you, and 'I beg you pardon'. Which is a phrase that Hannah had never heard before but it means 'excuse me' or 'I'm sorry'. She also hardly ever calls her father, Haymitch. She calls him Mitch instead, and they have silent conversations with each other with just their eyes or the touch of their hand. Making her father most odd around her too. Maybe Hannah is also becoming odd because of Euphemia Coin.

When Euphemia Coin asked if Hannah had any questions for her yesterday after her very long and tedious lesson with her. Tedious, that was another word she had learnt.

'Hannah I know that this is quite tedious but it must be done'.

Hannah had said no she hadn't, and Euphemia Coin had looked very upset at that.

"Is she there?" her father asks. They had been standing in silence. Hannah thinking about all the ways Euphemia Coin was odd, she forgot about her father and Euphemia Coin.

"I don't know" Euphemia Coin goes to sit on the bed. She does this so precisely as if there are baby bird eggs on there and she doesn't want to crush them. She then folds her leg over her knee. Apparently this is how ladies - which are sophisticated females - must always sit. "I wish they would just let us off this train. This waiting …", she doesn't finish her sentence, which surely must be quite rude. "Maybe I should", she says after a minute. "Maybe, I should change", she says getting up off the bed, "at least retouch my make-up", and she walks towards the mirror to gaze at her reflection.

"You look perfect. Princess", and she turns at her father's name for her, but as Hannah has already learnt, this does not mean she is a princess, "I can't have you cracking, not now. We need to hold it together. At least until we get into the penthouse. Hannah's not worried. Are you Hannah?"

Hannah moves her attention from Euphemia Coin to her father who is smiling at her, even though his eyes still look scared. "I am not worried Papa", she says and hugs him tighter, taking advantage of the over affection he has been showing her the last two days. That she has been craving for so long. She then gives him a small peck on the cheek, because as Euphemia Coin has explained, that is something very sweet little girls can do. But strictly only the cheek, unless it is her Papa, then she can kiss him on the lips, because he is family.

"I am not worried either", she says brightly smiling at Hannah. "I just need to get off this train", she says before perching back down on the bed and crossing her leg over the other.

But then she sharply uncrosses her legs and puts her head between her two knees, and starts breathing heavily.

Hannah frowns at her father for an explanation.

"We all need to get off this train. Just preferably not at this stop", her father. "Hannah, go get some water from the tap in the bathroom for your mother", her father says, setting her on the ground.

"OK", Hannah says. Not really happy about being put down. Haymitch now keeps referring to Euphemia Coin as 'your mother', but truth be told to Hannah, she cannot see it. Hannah knows that she looks like her Papa but she doesn't look anything like this woman that they claim to be hers. She is like a cross between a swan and a toucan.

Another truth is that Hannah is actually a little worried. Euphemia Coin explained to her the schedule yesterday and it seemed to be a long time before there would be any fighting, and a lot of talking and smiling. The fighting she was more confident about, she had gone through the movies again with her father, even though she had known all of them off-by-heart, just to reacquaint herself with them.

In the bathroom Hannah turns on the tap and watches it run for a while. She knows what a tap is of-course, but she always has to go to the lake for water and put special water purification tablets her Papa gets from the Capitol in it and wait for a whole thirty minutes if she wants to drink it. She must watch the tap run for a whole minute before she realises she has to find something to put the water in. But looking around the bathroom she can't find anything.

She turns off the tap.

"I can't fi-", she starts to call out to her father but finds him on the bed with Euphemia Coin, an arm around her as she cuddles him.

Hannah falls silent and frowns.

"It's OK, Hannah. Come here".

She walks towards them carefully. A strangeness settling in her as she watches Euphemia Coin grip onto her father's shirt, while he trails his fingers up and down her forearm. Haymitch opens his spare arm out to Hannah and she runs into him and settles on him just like Euphemia Coin has. Hannah's hand accidentally brushes against hers and she quickly pulls it away, tucking it safely away. But she does stare into Euphemia Coin's greeny blue eyes, just as Euphemia Coin stares into Hannah's own eyes. Euphemia Coin's face looks as though it has a thick coat of white flour on her it, it matches her skin and her dress, but her eye lashes have gold butterflies in them, the same colour as her hair. She smiles at Hannah, propping a hand underneath her cheek so it elevates her head, she then brings her other hand round towards Hannah - who watches it with weariness as it comes closer to her head, but then Euphemia Coin's hand changes it's course and she strokes Hannah's nose instead.

"I wish we had some of Katniss' berries", she whispers, and Hannah clocks the way her father's fingers still and dig into Euphemia Coin's skin. Euphemia Coin brings her hand from Hannah's nose and rests on her father's chest.

"Let's get some rest together", her father says, and he kisses the top of Euphemia Coin's forehead. "They'll call us when they're ready for us".

~xXx~

The knock on the door makes Hannah wake up instantly. She is usually a light sleeper from her time being in the woods, but her father and Euphemia Coin carries on sleeping.

The knock comes again and she moves to get up and answer the door. But this must wake her father up and he stops her with his fist locked around her elbow.

"Wher-"

But the third knock cuts him off.

He shakes her head at her, "stay here with Effie. Effie", he shakes her awake, but the movement seems to of too awoken her and she sits up so her father can get out of bed.

"Haymitch your shirt", Euphemia Coin's hand chases after him.

"It's fine", he says, tucking his shirt in his trousers and straightening his jacket. He opens the door a crack, before turning back at Hannah and Euphemia Trinket. "It's show time".

They follow the person in uniform - the attendant, Hannah corrects herself - down the corridor. Hannah's hand firmly fixed in her father's, watching Euphemia Coin walk on her white spike shoes in front of them.

"There is still so many of them", she says, and Hannah looks up to see that she is looking out the window. But Hannah is too short to see. "I have never known it to be so packed".

"Neither have I".

They stop suddenly and Hannah is so busy looking at Euphemia Coin's shoes that she walks right into the back of her legs.

Euphemia turns her neck behind her to look at her. Just like a swan.

Hannah looks up at her guiltily.

Euphemia Coin raises her eyebrows at her.

"I beg your pardon", Hannah says.

"That's quite alright, Hannah", she says.

"Two minutes", the attendant says.

"OK", Euphemia Coin.

"OK", her father.

And they turn her to face the metal wall, and then Euphemia Coin starts to fiddle with her father's shirt again. Trying to make it straight as possible until her father orders her to stop. Hannah then feels something tug on one of her braids Euphemia Coin re-did this morning.

"What are you doing", her father whispers and Hannah doesn't know why as they are the only three here, but she feels like she wants to cry. She was so happy when Euphemia Coin re-did her braids this morning, so that she would look her best in the movies.

"It will hide her face from the cameras".

"The whole of Panem knows what she looks like already, Effie. It's too fucking late to do a switch".

Euphemia Coin hisses, and moves round to undo the other braid.

"It will protect her from all the camera flashes. She's not used to it, Haymitch. All those people out there…", she trails off.

"Fuck sake, Effie".

The attendant arrives back but Hannah has firmly declared herself in a mood now and doesn't care what happens.

"Fuck Effie, the boy", her father suddenly says, and Hannah feels Euphemia Coin leave her side in a small gust.

Neither of them seem to have noticed that she is in a mood, and she snatches her hand out of her father's and firmly crosses it over her chest to show that she is really angry. But her father doesn't make any effort to grab it back, he is too busy talking to the attendant, asking them to 'stall it'. Whatever that means.

"Sorry, no can do sir", and Hannah watches as the attendant's white hand comes in front of her gaze and pulls at a handle she hadn't notices was there. It makes a creaking noise and -

Flash.

White flashes.

Lots of white flashes.

Hannah can't see and she stumbles backwards onto her father.

She raises her hands in front of her eyes but all she can see is spots. White, green, yellow, red, pink, purple.

Flash.

Lots of flashes.

Shouting.

There is lots of shouting.

People calling her name.

She feels her father pick her up and she buries her head in his shoulder. He starts to move.

People continue to shout her name.

They shout her father's name.

They shout Effie.

They shout Trinket.

They try to grab at Hannah.

She can feel them touching her.

She wants to bite they're throats but her father tells her to keep her head hidden and that it will be over soon.

"Haymitch", she hears Euphemia Coin cry his name in desperation, and she wants to peak and see what they are doing to her.

But her father suddenly crouches and before she knows it there is another child in her father's arms. A boy. With round glasses and a very round face.

Time seems to stop as she analyses this boy through the small gaps in her hair. His round, fat face. His thick black glasses. Red, red lips. Blonde hair and blue, blue eyes. He looks like a pig. She frowns at him but then her father starts moving again, and she has to bury herself back in her father's shoulder as the flashes catch her off guard again.

"Don't let go of my jacket, Effie", is all she can really make out from all the shouting as it is said so close to her face. Then the string of curse words - as Euphemia Coin - calls them that come out of her father's mouth like a long line of string.

Then suddenly it is over. There is no flashes. There is no tugging of clothes and grabbing. There is no shouting.

"Take the boy into the other room", she hears her father order. He then pats her back.

"It's OK. It's over. You're not really hurt are you? Let's take a look at you", he says setting her down.

Hannah's vision is bleary and her father wipes them with his thumbs.

"No crying", he says.

She hadn't realised she had been crying.

But it had been so … and so…

Now that she could see better, she could see that her father's jacket had been torn at the shoulder, his hair look disheveled and he looked like he might have a bruise emerging on his left cheek. _That_ made Hannah want to cry again.

Euphemia Coin entered back in the room.

She looked mad and marched straight up to her father.

"Did they hurt you?" he asks her.

"I don't know. I feel my dress may be torn a little at the back, but it's nothing", and she goes to rest her hand on her father's swollen cheek, but he flicks it away and turns her around to inspect the back of her dress.

"Your perfect", he says after inspection. "A gallon of hairspray on that wig and white leather that fits like a second skin. Kudos to you. You wore the right armour".

Euphemia Coin turns and takes her father's face in her hand and inspects his entire face. "I have some cream that will clear that up". She then looks at the rip on his jacket before inspecting the rest of him. "Are you hurt elsewhere?"

He shakes his head and looks at Hannah, and Euphemia Coin jumps, as if she suddenly forgot she was there.

"Are you OK, Sweetheart?" she asks. Euphemia Coin rests a hand on her shoulder. "Did they pull your hair? I should have left it as it was".

"No, you were right", her father. "You protected her. I never imagined it would be like that".

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Euphemia Coin asks her, resting her other hand on Hannah's other shoulder, so that she is kind of boxed in the woman's almost embrace.

Hannah looks up at Euphemia Coin, she can feel her eyes watering again. She shakes her head, no, because her father is right, she is not hurt not really. But then she shakes her head, yes, because she actually hurts everywhere. She feels like she is going to combust. She didn't like that experience at all. And without being able to stop it, she runs into Euphemia Coin's body for shelter and comfort.

Euphemia Coin picks her up, and she is surprised how soft she feels and how nice she smells. She buries her head into Euphemia Coin's shoulder and underneath all the sweet smelling smells that cloud Euphemia Coin, is another, more comforting smell, that Hannah somehow recognises and makes her feel light, melty almost like, and she can feel herself start to calm down.

"Fucking animals", her father says.

Euphemia Coin rests her cheek against Hannah's forehead and Hannah's heartbeat begins to calm down. "Maybe we should give her another sleeping pill?"  
"She has to be on stage in a few hours", and her father kicks the ground before throwing some punches.

Hannah watches her father pace the room like a wild animal, muttering his string of curse words. He then suddenly stops and looks at her, and goes to collect her out of Euphemia Coin's arms and into is; putting kisses on her forehead.

"Now that is a picture", a new voice says, and Hannah raises her head to see a dark skinned man and woman, more dark skinned then her Papa. The man looks normal. But the woman, she looks like one of them, and Hannah hides again in her Papa.

"Cinna. Portia", her father says, almost in relief.

Cinna. Portia. Euphemia Coin had said that they would be her _stylists_. And a stylists job is to decide how a tribute should look. They were very important people.

"Are you OK?" the other voice asks. The female.

"Quite. Hannah is a bit shoken up", Euphemia Coin.

"I am not surprised. I haven't seen anything like it".

"With all respect, we don't have time for pleasantries", the male. "We have to decide on our images".

"This is Hannah", her father starts to pry her out of his arms but Hannah doesn't want it. She wants to go back on the train and back to District 12. She wants to rewind time.

"Not Hannah. Hannah is perfect as she is. Portia can put her to rest until just before the show. It's you two we have to worry about. How did you two become a two. Why did you keep her? Why did you give her up? Are you angry at each other? Do you love each other? Is it love or is it just the love for your child? We have to get the angles of your stories perfect. You both are what are vital to Hannah's success, but more so you, Effie".

"I'm ready".

"I hope so. Because you might get a lot of backlash. From both Capitols and victors".

"I'm ready. I can do this".

"She's made of strong stuff", her father.

~xXx~

Hannah screamed when they tried to pry her away from her father, so in the end they settled her on his lap while they talked. She tried to follow the conversation but could only really understand fragments. Euphemia Coin had grabbed her ankle at some point and was doing those soothing patterns on her skin again, so Hannah decided to lie down on her Papa because her body was beginning to feel very heavy with sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Moves and Countermoves

Chapter 5: The Parade

 _Wednesday 1st July_

 _The Capitol._

Euphemia Coin woke Hannah up. She instantly felt the lack of her father's presence and screamed the room down, sending her claws towards anyone who wasn't him until he showed his face. He opened his arms for her and collected her in them.

"Did she get you?" Her father asks. It is directed at Euphemia Coin. It is now just the three of them in the room. She is standing in a corner with her hands together looking at Hannah and her father oddly, _of course._

Hannah buries her face in the crook of her father's neck because she knows she definitely did get her more than a few times.

"Nothing I can't fix".

"No, leave it. Let those animals think it was them".

Hannah hears no verbal reply for Euphemia Coin, but Hannah finds she doesn't care.

"It's almost show time. Are you ready?" her father asks. Hannah can tell by his voice he is talking to _her_ _._ He is also walking closer towards her, so Hannah grips better around her father's neck.

"As ready as I'll ever be", Euphemia Coin replies.

Her father stops his slow steps, and Hannah can feel him start to inch her away from him.

Hannah grips on even tighter to him, really digging her fingers into him so he knows that she does _not_ want him to leave her with Euphemia Coin again.

"Now now, none of that", her father chides her softly, comfortingly patting her back. "What did we speak about on the train? We have to play the game. And in order to play the game you have to listen and do what E - your mother - says".

Hannah flinches, still not liking that term.

"Now go to your mother", her father instructs but at the same time grips tighter on to her. "Don't fight her. Don't hurt her. Listen and do what she says", he says, placing her down on the floor. "Do that, and you are sure to win the Games". Haymitch puts her hand in Euphemia Coin's feather like hand.

Hannah wants to listen because she can still remember very well what happened last time she didn't listen, and she doesn't want her Papa to end up like her Sae, but she has an odd feeling that it is almost like Haymitch is saying goodbye to her.

"Where are you going?" she asks as he starts to turn away from her.

"To go and play my part of the game", Haymitch smiles at her. But his smile is sad.

Hannah frowns confused. Again, this was not how she imagined the Games at all. She knew that Haymitch wouldn't be in the arena or in the training sessions with her, but she thought as her mentor, he would be with her at all other times.

"Your part is not with me?" Hannah asks. Some sort of realisation dawning on her. She just didn't quite understand what the realisation was. "My part is with Euphemia Coin", she realises slowly. Because, hadn't that been what he had always warned her?

 _'She will come for you and take you away from me'._

Hadn't he said on the train the she would want to keep her in the Capitol?!

Hannah shakes her head no, still certain that will not happen at all. She would rip the throats out of anyone who tried to stop her from going back home to District 12 with her father. "No, I want to stay with you", she says firmly, trying to loosen herself out of Euphemia Coin's hand, but the woman's grip is surprisingly strong. But Hannah doesn't waste any of her effort on this as she had caught how her father's eyes had flinched at her words, and then continued to stare down hard at her. She knows that look very well. It's when he is thinking whether to change his mind on something. Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn't. So Hannah carries on staring up at him, willing him with her eyes for him to change his mind.

That is until Euphemia Coin steps in front of her, cutting their eye contact.

"Mitch, you don't have long to get ready", she says, fancily placing her other soft, delicate hand on Haymitch's cheek. She is back to using that high pitched annoying Capitol voice that she had rarely used whilst on the train. Hannah guesses that it is probably because she was back in the Capitol, but she also thinks there is something else that is being said between the two of them without words. Another one of their silent conversations.

Hannah can only watch as Euphemia Coin's odd spell is cast over her father and he nods his head in agreement with her.

Maybe she is a witch?!

Hannah thought they were only stories, but maybe she was wrong.

"I don't want to keep repeating myself, Hannah. You have to stay with Effie. With your mother. I've told you why".

But his voice sounds nervous to Hannah.

"Hush Mitch", Euphemia Coin's claws scrape along her father's jaw. "She knows that Mitch. She is just going to miss you is all. She understands why, don't you Hannah?"

Because she is good at making people love her, is what her father said. People meaning sponsors he had later explained during her training session with him on the train. Hannah knew already that sponsors give you medicine and give you weapons. Finnick Odair received a weaponised trident in his Games which meant that he was able to defeat all his enemies and win the Games. Enorbia Meycrenden was given a spacial javelin with a poisoned tip which meant it killed her enemies with just the touch of the spear. And if it hadn't been for the special medicine the sponsors had given her, she would have most likely died from all the wounds she got when the Careers ambushed her with knives.

But Hannah is still not convinced that was because of love. Surely sponsors only gave you weapons and medicines because they thought you could win the Games. And that came to how well she could fight and how clever she was, and Hannah knew that she would be the smartest and cleverest because she was from District 12, and her father who trained her was Haymitch Abernathy, the only living Quell victor, who had brought home the most victors than any other mentor and any other District.

Unless... Unless he thought she was weak.

Hannah bowed her head upset. "It's because you think I am weak", Hannah says.

"No, Hannah", Euphemia Coin says, unlocking her hand to rest both her hands on either side of Hannah's shoulders. She kneels to Hannah's height. "You are strong. So strong", she insists. Her face is so blank and white, but her eyes that are staring so hard at her, are blue like the sky. Her irises run so deep. Dark blue, sky blue, pale blue, with lines of white. Her pupils get bigger.

She wants Hannah to believe what she is saying, but Hannah knows this woman knows nothing.

"She's right Hannah", her father's voice says and he has walked closer to them, but is still at a distance. "You are the strongest person I've ever known", he says and Hannah has to cast her eyes down because she thinks she is going to cry over her father's words.

"You're not just saying that?" she asks.

"I'm not just saying that. You are much stronger than I am, or any other person I have ever known".

"Then why can't I stay with you?"

"Because that is not how your game's has to be played".

Hannah huffs because her father is not making sense at all. You play the Games by showing sponsors you are the cleverest and strongest. You kill the other tributes in the arena and then you go home. Every few years you have to go back and mentor, hopefully your tribute will win but you won't win every time. Like Papa, you will get sad but you will get over it.

"Everyone's game is different, Hannah", Euphemia Coin hands warm her shoulders. "The arena is only a small, nonetheless, important part of the game. It has a lot more to do with how you play the game outside the arena, especially as it goes on long after you win".

Hannah rolls her eyes. She has seen her father do this many times around Euphemia Coin since boarding the train when he doesn't agree with what she says.

"Listen to what she says, Hannah. Because she is right", her father's voice 'sternly' tells her off, which makes Hannah a little mad because it was _him_ she got it from and why is _he_ allowed to do it and not her?! Also, it was not even one week ago, her and her father were both in agreement they hated this woman, but her father now regards and trusts her as if she is some kind of seer!

"Your father has done the most wonderful job at getting to you to this point, Hannah, and both your father and I have no doubt that you will succeed spectacularly in the arena. Why!" Euphemia Coin's suddenly changes from sad to exited, shaking Hannah's shoulders lightly, causing Hannah to study her. "I am sure it is going to be the quickest game ever in history", she says brightly, tickilishly poking Hannah in the side and smiling at her.

Hannah hates to admit that she _does_ enjoy seeing Euphemia Coin smile. It makes her look _almost_ beautiful and _almost_ human under all those layers. The first time she had seen it was at breakfast on their second day on the train, and she had directed it only to Hannah. Hannah had never seen her smile like that at anyone else. Not even her father. It made Hannah feel kind of special.

Hannah smiles back at her. But the loud slam of her father closing the door catches Hannah, and by the way she jumps a little, Euphemia Coin, by surprise.

"Don't worry about him", Euphemia Coin moves Hannah's chin so that she is back staring at her. "He has to get ready to play his part of the game. We have to get ready for the parade", and Euphemia Coin's eyes go big as she smiles wildly with excitement. It is almost hypnotic as Hannah's face mimics hers.

The parade.

Euphemia Coin had told her about it on the train. That is where you dress up in a costume that represents your district. She had showed her some 'photographs' and 'video content'. The costumes looked very exciting and fun. Her favourite was from last year with the Hunter Woman and the Bread Man. They had fire on them, and Euphemia Coin said that Hannah might have a similar costume.

"Shall we go see your costume?"

"Yes, she remembers to add, "please".

~xXx~

The horses that would be pulling her chariot were humongous. Hannah had never imagined they would stand so tall over her. She had never seen a horse in real life, but she had read about them in her Papa's book. Seeing them in person was completely amazing. They were both black, completely, all over. Hannah had checked them both. They were both male horses. There was an attendant feeding the horses white cubes and Hannah had been watching in interest. Eventually the attendant gave Hannah one and she copied his movements and fed them to the horse.

The horse's tongue was heavy and rough and continued to search Hannah's hand for more.

Hannah laughed. It was ticklish.

"Hannah", Euphemia Coin sang. "Come away from those beasts. Quick, before they mistake your hair for food".

Hannah darted like lightening from the horses side to Euphemia Coin's, which everyone around her seemed to laugh at. The camera flashes that seemed to be recording her every step went off in a hurry around her again. They were being taken by 'official Games photographers' as Euphemia Coin had explained to her while she changed into her costume. They were different from 'paparazzi' because they were not so 'intrusive' and had a right to take _photographs_ of them and wouldn't end up in 'trashy editorials'.

Hannah had just nodded and stored the confusing information in her head like she normally did with Euphemia Coin.

She still had not seen her father since he left the two of them earlier.

It was worrying her slightly but everything was also so very new, loud, strange and exciting all at the same time. She was ready in her costume. Which at the moment was just black clothing which was like snake skin on her and then a 'cape' around her neck that reached as long as she was. Fire would 'encompass' her when they were on the parade 'route'. She was told not to worry because it wasn't real and wouldn't burn her. But Hannah wasn't afraid of that. She was excited. Her hair was up in a hairstyle too 'intricate' for Euphemia Coin. The dark skinned Capitol _lady_ from before had done it. It was styled like a butterfly and there was threads of gold in her hair and little butterflies similar to the ones Euphemia Coin wore on her Reaping Day. Hannah had never seen a hairstyle so beautiful in her life and was so excited that it would be part of her movies and that everyone would be able to see how beautiful it was and how beautiful she was having that hairstyle.

"Make sure you put those ear plugs in before you get on the chariot", Euphemia Coin points to the circular spongey things around Hannah's neck. They are 'noise cancelling' which will help protect her ears as it is going to be _very, very,_ loud during the parade.

"I know. Where is Haymitch?" Hannah asks.

"He is in the crowd waiting to see you", she smiles at Hannah, redoing the tie at the back of her head. She reties it so hard, Hannah is wondering whether she is trying to cut off the blood supply to her head. "Remember what I said, make sure this stays on. Do not remove it. I will be there after the parade at the end of the route waiting for you. Do not go with anyone else who is not I or your Haymitch. Don't get scared by all of the commotion, just keep your eyes at the front and it will all be over soon".

This had to be the fourth time Euphemia Coin had reminded her, but she was excited at the promise Haymitch would be there and watching her.

"It's show time", someone says and Euphemia Coin pushes the ear plugs into Hannah's ears before helping her onto her chariot.

It was very high up, much higher than she thought, but Hannah wasn't scared. She had climbed trees three times the size of this height easily. It was just that trees even in the highest wind didn't move as much as these horses would.

"Remember what I said", the Capitol _gentlemen_ with the gold on his eyes - her stylist - voice suddenly comes through the ear plugs, "as soon as you go through that arch", the Capitol points towards the large shut arched door where the loud noises was coming from. The doors are as high as the room which seems to Hannah the same height as the humongous canopy trees in her forrest.

"I press this button", Hannah finishes, holding up the button in her hand.

"Good now, hold hands", he indicates next to her and Hannah is surprised to see the same child that had invaded her space earlier. He is wearing a mask which hides half his face like she is, but she can make out the same pig features.

The boy takes hold of her hand and it is huge, warm and damp and grips on to her tightly.

Hannah is about to be annoyed but then the chariot lurches forward and she is glad that his grip was strong or she fears she may have fallen over, and that wouldn't have been a good start.

~xXx~

The doors open slowly. They had been hiding so much noise because now even with her ear plugs, the noise vibrates through Hannah's ears and it feels like the ground beneath is following the same loud banging beat. It is so loud that Hannah can feel it throughout her body and is making her heart shudder painfully. Hannah turns behind to look for Euphemia Coin. She is standing with the stylist, staring directly at Hannah. Hannah hopes Euphemia Coin was right and that it will all be over very soon.

The horses start to move faster as they approach the archway and Hannah almost drops the important button. She doesn't know how she is supposed to hold the boy's hand, hold on to the button and keep herself upright. She also doesn't feel well. She feels too hot. She feels like she is going to be sick. Her bones are rattling. She needs to badly relieve her bladder and bowls. All at the same time.

"Hannah, now", the stylists voice comes through her ears. "Press the button now".

Hannah looks up and realises that she is in the open.

It's bright. The sun is out fully and makes her feel even more hot. The horses are walking very fast now, and there are a colour of people either side of her screaming and shouting. Waving their arms hurriedly in the air. They all look so small from where Hannah is stood but she guesses there must be almost maybe the same amount as the whole population of District 12.

"Hannah can you hear me?" his voice sounds again and Hannah quickly presses the button.

She can see the flames emerge on the boy's clothing out of the corner of her eyes but she doesn't feel any heat like the stylist said.

It seems impossible but the noise from the crowd gets even higher. She thinks that they are calling her name.

Hannah momentarily concentrates on the objects flying in the air. She had noticed it earlier but too much was going on for her to pay attention to it like she can now as they are literally been thrown right in front of her and on her. Not that she can now make at what they are. They are not hard, whatever they are.

Her focus next moves to the people along the parade route. They are almost naked apart from white cloths wrapped around their waist. There is a whole line of them the length of the road. They stand in groups of three and with two sticks hit very large drums at the same time.

Something soft hits the top of Hannah's forehead, she then feels it fall on her feet, so looks down to see what it is.

A stuffed rabbit.

Hannah prods it with her foot.

It is not real only pretend but it makes her think of Silver and Buffo, and the noise and brightness and the heat, everything seems to disappear as Hannah thinks about her animals back in her home in the forrest. They were still in their cages because she had not seen a reason to let them out before she went to the Reaping. She hadn't thought when she left that morning that she would be the one who was reaped. It would have been the third day they had not been fed so would probably be dead. If not now, they will definitely die before she finishes her Games. She doesn't know how long a rabbit and bullfrog could go without food. She went three days once without food, but she had water. They always had lots of water in their bowls but how long would that las- Her chariot suddenly stops and she falls forward a little bit because she wasn't concentrating. She is sure she would have fallen on her face if it wasn't for the pig boy. This sends anger throughout Hannah because it is probably now the third time he has stopped her from falling. Hopefully none of the sponsors noticed, or even worse, Haymitch.

She has to concentrate now and forget about her animals. They are dead and she has to play her Games.

All the chariots have stopped in half a circle and it is the first time Hannah is able to look at the other tributes. She has reviewed them already with Haymitch on the train, but now she can analyse them in person. The two tributes on her left, from District 11 look very big, so do the ones from District 10-

"- Welcome", a voice booms and makes Hannah jump a little, _again._

She looks up towards the voice.

President Snow.

This is the official opening of the Games. Euphemia Coin says that he says the same thing every year.

"Welcome. Tributes. We welcome you. And we wish you happy hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour".

'May the odds be ever in your favour'.

The horses move again.

Hannah swears his eyes stopped on her when he said those last words.

Did that mean President Snow was wanting her to win?

Hannah didn't know how long President Snow had been the president of Panem, but it was President Snow's father - also President Snow - who had invented the Hunger Games and formed the walled state of Panem. Before, the districts were all free and independent and had different names. The short time Hannah had been allowed to go to school, the teacher taught her that President Snow invented the Hunger Games as a way to maintain peace between the districts who had been at war with each other. The two tributes that were sacrificed every year from each district was a necessary reminder to the districts that war is wrong and that if it had not been for the Capitol's intervention and unification of the districts, much more innocent blood would have been spilt.

But outside on the playground all the children said that their parents said it wasn't true. The Capitol were bad and everyone who lived in the Capitol were all monsters who ate District children. When Hannah had asked her Sae that evening she had said that if her teacher had said it was true, then it was true and 'it did nobody good thinking it was any different'. When Hannah had asked Haymitch, he had told her that the children's parents had spoken the truth. It was at that same visit that he had told her that he was her father, and that she would no longer be going to school.

"Hannah, let's go".

Suddenly her father's voice and the loud snapping of his fingers sounds close to her. He sounds angry. She had been preoccupied with her dreaming again, as she sees now that the chariot and horses had stopped and they were in another large room similar to the one they had been in before the parade. She did that a lot - dreaming - because she had lots of time on her own to do that, but she had to stop doing that now, she had lots of people watching her now all the time. She had to start concentrating on her Games.

Haymitch looks angrily at her, and has an impatient hand outstretched at her. Hannah can see that the boy is already down by Haymitch's side waiting. She wants to ask Haymitch if her saw her parade. If he saw how the fire _encompassed_ her. She wants to know if he had been proud of her, but by the look on his face, she can tell that he is not in a good mood.

"I can get down myself", Hannah says, a little annoyed at him too for spoiling her excitement. But also so she can take the stuffed rabbit that she still has firmly under her foot, without Haymitch seeing. Which she does quickly when her back is turned to Haymitch, hiding it with one hand underneath her cape, before jumping off the chariot step.

"You're OK?" Haymitch asks.

Hannah nods trying to look unsuspicious.

He pauses a moment, before nodding. "Stay her boy, Effie will meet you soon. Hannah keep up with me, don't make eye contact with anyone and remember everyone is watching you".

Hannah nods again.

Haymitch turns, telling an official Games photographer to move out his way, but the man must not hear him as he continues flashing his camera at them until Haymitch's shoulder pushes him out of the way. Hannah listens to what her father told her and doesn't make eye contact with anyone, instead making sure to follow her father's footsteps as fast as possible.

That is until she ends up on her buttocks on the floor after something hard knocking her over. She falls hard on her elbow that had been underneath her cape, the stuffed toy cushions her buttocks.

Hannah looks up to see what she had knocked into and sees a male with short curly blonde hair and a fierce looking face standing over her. He must be a tribute by the clothes he has on.

The male tribute from District 1. A Career. Blonde hair, light eyes. The typical features of the Career districts. Being from District 12 Hannah regularly forgets that her features are not a weakness outside her district.

Hannah picks herself and her stuffed toy up quickly. "I beg your pardon", she rushes politely, giving him a small smile. She needs to catch up with Haymitch again before he realises that she is not behind him and gets even more angry at her. But, by the way the District 1 male tribute continues to stare at her, Hannah realises that she had not fallen on the floor on accident.

He had pushed her down.

The male District 1 tribute is a mean boy who purposefully pushed her on the floor for everyone to see. To see that she was weak.

Hannah's moment of confusion passes and she feels foolish for it. Why did she even apologise to him? In the Games, every tribute other than herself is her enemy, to be exterminated of. What had made her so soft?

"What happened?" Haymitch's voice tries to interrupt her stare with the male District 1 tribute, but it isn't until Hannah feels Haymitch throw her rabbit out of her hand, does she move her concentration to him.

"I tripped", she lies, because except the sound of the camera flashing and quiet whispering, everything has gone almost silent around them, and she can't have her father defending her in front of all these people.

Hannah can see by her father's face expression the she has embarrassed Haymitch in front of everyone, and while he continues to stay deathly still, hovering over her, Hannah is a little nervous about what he is going to do to her. She feels like he may hit her, which she guesses she deserves, so just continues to stay still until he makes his mind up.

"Hannah", his voice is of disappointment, which is so much worse than him hitting her.

Hannah drops her head in shame. "I know". Her stuffed rabbit lies squashed under one of Haymitch's shoes. He kicks it away with his foot. Hannah wants to see where it went but she knows she mustn't.

"Haymitch", Hannah's ears prick as she hears the now distinct sound of Euphemia Coin's voice and slow walk on those spiked shoes on the concrete. Her voice is soft towards him.

Haymitch sighs, gripping Hannah's hand and pulling her quickly through the whispering crowd. Not so many people seem to be in their way now.

They stop in front of closed gold doors, Haymitch presses a button near the door and the arrow on the top of the doors moves clockwise from left to right.

It is just the two of them and the noise of talking behind them is loud again.

"This is an elevator", Haymitch says quietly to her.

"I know", Hannah half lies. She didn't know it was an elevator but she has been on an elevator. When they went to visit the mines on a school trip they had used an elevator to go down the mine shaft.

Haymitch's grip on Hannah's hand was already tight, but it suddenly tightens and Hannah can feel Haymitch's whole body tighten.

She can feel Haymitch turn his head and she does the same.

A Capitol - Hannah cannot tell if it is male or female - stands behind them with Euphemia Coin and the boy. Hannah clocks the way Euphemia Coin holds the boy's hand in hers as if he was hers.

"You've got some nerve", Haymitch says, and Hannah instantly picks up on Haymitch's dislike for this new stranger and focusses her attention away from the hand holding, to the stranger. The stranger who has male clothing on, but hair styled with make-up on like a female.

"I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean", this Capitol's voice is unusual for a Capitol. It is very low and says the words slowly. "I just came to say hello to my wife, who I haven't seen now for six days, and to wish her daughter-"

"Hannah is mine", Hannah jumps a little at the sudden ferralness as Haymitch goes to take a step closer towards the Capitol, but Euphemia Coin is there in an instant, both her hands on Haymitch's right arm, blocking Hannah's vision from anything but her white dress. It also causes Haymitch to loosen his grip on Hannah's hand, which she is thankful for.

"Haymitch", Euphemia Coin's voice whispers in a hiss. "You are causing an unnecessary scene".

Now up close, Hannah can see that there is the outline of silver butterflies threaded into the fabric of Euphemia Coin's dress, and that it is not completely white as she first thought. Hannah thinks that butterflies must be Euphemia Coin's symbol as she displays it on herself often. It is beautiful, the detail. Hannah doesn't think she has seen such a beautiful design in her life and without really thinking about it, goes to trace one of the outlines lightly with her finger.

Euphemia Coin moves at her touch and Hannah drops her hand immediately.

She can feel Euphemia Coin's gaze on her but Hannah ignores it and continues to stare at the fabric of the dress innocently.

"You're not supposed to be back here", her father, "this is for Games only".

"My darling", the Capitol addresses and Hannah watches wide eyed as a long white claw shaped finger nail scrapes down Euphemia Coin's right arm. "I would like to meet my step-daughter. Would you not like to introduce us?" and Hannah catches the Capitol's eyes staring at her. She hadn't noticed them before but the irises and scieras are completely black, as if she only has very large pupils. It sends a shiver down Hannah's back.

"She has nothing to do with you", Haymitch stands between Euphemia Coin and the Capitol, again blocking Hannah's view of anything but fabric. "I'm warning you, Coin. Get out, before I throw you out".

"Such formality, dear Mitch", and Hannah can see how both Euphemia Coin and her father tense. "We are somewhat now family after all".

"You are not my family".

"It's OK, Buddy", someone comes to Haymitch's side and Hannah tenses wondering if he has come to harm her father. "Security is on its way", the man says, pulling Haymitch out of Euphemia Coin's hands and freeing Hannah's vision again.

Hannah notices the absence of another arm.

Chaff. One of Districts 11's victors. During his Games, the remaining tribute had searched the whole arena almost to death for half a day, only to find Chaff half buried in the sand near the cornucopia. The tribute had misjudged Chaff's half dead appearance and instead of cutting Chaff's throat with the dagger, Chaff suddenly turned and pinned the tribute down, throwing his knife away and bludgeoning the tribute with a nearby rock to death with his only hand.

'Even when they think it is all over, there is fight still left in you'.

'Never misjudge a tribute until you are sure they are dead'.

Both had been her father's advice.

"Hannah". Hannah snaps her attention from the two victors to the Capitol that has addressed her in her slow, low un-Capitolish voice. Female. Hannah can tell that now by the curve of her body and also her facial structure. Hannah can't bring herself to maintain contact with this woman's eyes, so she instead focusses on the woman's strange collar, which she realises is also in the shape of a butterfly...? "I have to go now. I'm sorry to have met you in such horrible of circumstances, but I look forward to getting to know you better", and she outstretches her hand to Hannah.

Hannah shakes it, "it was a pleasure to have met you", Hannah repeats the phrase Euphemia Coin had taught her.

The Capitol laughs and Hannah finds herself smiling back because she doesn't look so Capitolish, not really, she only has a little make-up on, and her grey hair reminds her of her Sae. "It was my absolute pleasure to have met you too, and I want you to know that I am not only your family, I am also your friend, and I going to do everything I can to help you out of these Games".

"Madam Coin".

"Yes, I know, I'm going".

"Sorry Mam, President Snow's orders", an unarmed peacekeeper addresses the Capitol.

"Effie, my love", and Hannah watches, again wide eyed, as the Capitol kisses Euphemia Coin on the lips. For a long time. The Capitol then walks away with the two unarmed peacekeepers on spiked shoes.

When in the lift, Haymitch punches the wall.

Edited: 26.3.18


End file.
